List of countries by coal reserves

Last updated

The reserve list specifies different types of coal and includes countries with at least 0.1% share of the estimated world's proven reserves of coal. All data are taken from the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) via BP; all numbers are in million tonnes. [1] However BP no longer publishes coal reserves and the Energy Institute did not update the figures in 2023. [2]

Contents

A coal mine in Wyoming, United States. The country has the world's largest coal reserves. Coal mine Wyoming.jpg
A coal mine in Wyoming, United States. The country has the world's largest coal reserves.

Background

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements; chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. [3]

As a fossil fuel burned for heat, coal supplies about a quarter of the world's primary energy and two-fifths of its electricity. [4]

The largest consumer and importer of coal is China. China mines almost half the world's coal, followed by India with about a tenth. Australia accounts for about a third of world coal exports, followed by Indonesia and Russia. [5]

Coal is largely held in the Earth in areas that it needs to be mined from, and is generally present in coal seams.

Estimation of proved reserves

Unlike "resources", which is the amount that could technically be extracted, according to BP "total proved reserves of coal" is "generally taken to be those quantities that geological and engineering information indicates with reasonable certainty can be recovered in the future from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions". [1] Thus, like oil reserves, coal reserves can vary with coal and carbon prices. There are various definitions of "reserve". [6]

Unlike the internationally traded commodities hard or soft coal, lignite is not traded far from the place where it is mined because of its low value relative to transport costs, so it does not have a national price. [7] For example lignite costs within India vary greatly. [8]

List

Country Anthracite & bituminous Subbituminous & lignite Total
Tonnes
(mil)
 %Tonnes
(mil)
 %Tonnes
(mil)
 %
Flag of the United States.svg   United States 220,16730%30,0529.4%250,21924%
Flag of Russia.svg   Russia 69,6349.5%90,73028.4%160,36415%
Flag of Australia (converted).svg   Australia 70,9279.7%76,50823.9%147,43514%
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg   China 130,85117.8%7,9682.5%138,81913%
Flag of India.svg   India 96,46813.1%4,8951.5%101,36310%
Flag of Indonesia.svg   Indonesia 26,1223.6%10,8783.4%37,0004%
Flag of Germany.svg   Germany 30%36,10011.3%36,1033%
Flag of Ukraine.svg   Ukraine 32,0394.4%2,3360.7%34,3753%
Flag of Poland.svg   Poland 20,5422.8%5,9371.9%26,4793%
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg   Kazakhstan 25,6053.5%00%25,6052%
Flag of Turkey.svg   Turkey 5510.1%10,9753.4%11,5261%
Flag of South Africa.svg   South Africa 9,8931.3%00%9,8931%
Flag of New Zealand.svg   New Zealand 8250.1%6,7502.1%7,5751%
Flag of Serbia.svg   Serbia 4020.1%7,1122.2%7,5141%
Flag of Brazil.svg   Brazil 1,5470.2%5,0491.6%6,5961%
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg   Canada 4,3460.6%2,2360.7%6,5821%
Flag of Colombia.svg   Colombia 4,8810.7%00%4,8810%
Flag of Vietnam.svg   Vietnam 3,1160.4%2440.1%3,3600%
Flag of Pakistan.svg   Pakistan 2070%2,8570.9%3,0640%
Flag of Hungary.svg   Hungary 2760%2,6330.8%2,9090%
Flag of Greece.svg   Greece 00%2,8760.9%2,8760%
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg   Czech Republic 1100%2,5470.8%2,6570%
Flag of Mongolia.svg   Mongolia 1,1700.2%1,3500.4%2,5200%
Flag of Bulgaria.svg   Bulgaria 1920%2,1740.7%2,3660%
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg   Uzbekistan 1,3750.2%00%1,3750%
Flag of Mexico.svg   Mexico 1,1600.2%510%1,2110%
Flag of Spain.svg   Spain 8680.1%3190.1%1,1870%
Flag of Thailand.svg   Thailand 00%1,0630.3%1,0630%
Flag of Venezuela.svg   Venezuela 7310.1%00%7310%
World734,903100%319,879100%1,054,782100%

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "BP Statistical review of world energy 2019" (PDF). British Petroleum. 2019. p. 42. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  2. Institute, Energy. "About the statistical review". Statistical review of world energy. Retrieved 2024-03-12. Coal reserves …. Please note that these reserves tables have not been updated this year.
  3. Blander, M. "Calculations of the Influence of Additives on Coal Combustion Deposits" (PDF). Argonne National Laboratory. p. 315. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  4. "Global energy data". International Energy Agency.
  5. "Global energy data". International Energy Agency.
  6. "How much coal is left – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  7. "Why is there no lignite market?". Euracoal. 2014-09-11. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  8. "Lignite at Best Price in India". IndiaMART. Retrieved 2022-05-02.